Gasoline gauge



July 12' 1927' H. MossaAcH GASOLINE GAUGE Filed Maron 1. 192s 2 Sheets-Sheej, 1

Patented July 1,2, 1927.

UNITEDl STATns` f HENnYMossBncH, oir smcrrLnwAsnmemom,

i sAsoLINn GAUGE. v

Application inea' Maren 1,1923.. serial noteztasa rIhis invention. relates to improvements in Y gauges of that character used in 'connection with gasoline or oil supply-tanks of autofmobiles, trucks, etc., whereby the amount of the supply may be indicatedtothe driver of the vehicle. n v f u It is the principal objl'ec't of this invention to provide a device for theabovestated, purose o erable under the iniiuen'ce of aV vac'- Y uumfeed mechanism of a :type commonly used in automobiles, and employing a liquid indicatingmediumr thatis .caused to riseatv tails of construction ofthe containe-r for theindicati-ngy liquid and the manner in which,

it is connected withthe gaugev tubeand with the supply tank and vacuum feed mechanism.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision in the above system of means whereby each operation ofthe vacuum feedmechanism eifects the clearing of the air tube connection with the gauge of gasoline so that a new reading is made after each operative period ofthe vacuum feed mechanism.

lnV accomplishing these and v other objects of the invention, I have provided `,the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accom- Panyng drawings, wherein-4- Figure lis ay diagrammatic illustration showing, in section, a system embodiedV by the present invention. and its connection with fthe gravity tank of a vacuum. supply system. Figure 2 is an enlarged detaily view of an alternative construction for the parts that are located within the supply` tank.

Figure 3 is a similar view of another a1- ternative construction.

Figure 4 is van enlarged, sectional view of the .parts embodied in the system showing the indicating medium at rest during an inoperative yperiod of the vacuum feed mechanism. `i Y this type.

l,gasoline tank, itiis Figure 5 is al similarview illustrating the witl-idrawing of the indicating liquidl from the gauge into the gaugench'amber during an operating period of the l'vacuum 'system'. Also the clearing of the inner end of the air tube of gasoline and the intaking of yair through the gauge Vtube and air tube Linto the suction tube ot' the vacuumsystem.

Figure 6 is another view` illustrating the ypassage of air through the indicati-ng liquidy outwardly-through the gauge tube in'case'fof overflow inthe supply tank.

Referring more in 'detail to` the vdravvingsj ,n u ll designa-tesa liquid receptacle such as the gasoline supplytan-k ofan automobile, and

2' designates what may be the gravity tanks` of "the vacuum` feed system whereby gasoline i's supplied through a conduit 3' tothe carbure-tor of the vehicle engine. tank 2.is co-nnectedby `means of a suctiontube 4 with the fuel" distributing manifold Vof the e engine,v not shown, and has a conduit 5 leading therefrom to the'supplytank 1f., This conduit, which I hereinafter refer to vas the suction or discharge tube, ispreferably extended to inclose an 'air tube that yconnects with the gauge,y presently described, as ,is ill'ustrated-in Figure 1, or it may beextended to the tank directly, as `isill'ustrated', inv Figy ure 2. The present system is intended foruse in vehicles equipped with a vacuum feed system which operates under the control of vacuum pressure created within the manifold ofthe engine and communicated to the `tank 2L through the conduit connection In this arrangement provision is.V made by means of 'n suitable valve mechanism, not .,s'hown, that is located withinthe tank 2 for drawing gasoline intermittently from the tank lthrough the conduit 5', to flow from the 'latter tothe carburetor ,of the engine through thefconduit 3; however, other types of suction mechanism could be used with same results and I do not wish vto confine myself only to Extending vertically into the top of" the i tank l isa tube 10, which, at its upper end, 105

connects'with or is a continuation of the'tube 5 and within its lower end, that terminates closely adjfacent to the bottom Wall of the l providedwitha small filling aperture- 11. y

Extending centrallywithin the tube l0 and from the upper end vthereof is a small tubey 12 which connectswith or is formed as a continuation of a tube '13 that is eX- tended within the tube 5 to the dash board 14 of the vehicle, and is-.thereconnected with an air pressure actuated'indicator, oigauge,

consisting of a container 15 wherein thereisy Y a closed chamber' 16 partially Afilled with an indicating liquid.17 Thetube1 13` connects with this chamber at appoint that is always above the level of theA indicating liquid..-

A graduated, glass gauge tube 18 is mounted s o that it may receive, at its lower'end,fthe liquid 17 when the latter is forced from the Vchamber-"16 by an inflow of' air into the chambery and the upper' end of ther'gauge tube is open to atmosphere so as to permit an int'aking ofv air 'into the chamber 16 throughthe tube. yThe amount of' indicating liquid used is' accurately ymeasured so that, "when diminishing pressure in the 'chamber 16 causesl all Aof the' liquidtobe drawn thereinto from the gaugetube, it will not rise in the chamber toy a height lwhe're it Vwill be drawn into the air tube 13 neither 1will there be sufficient liquid that the gauge i Y tube could be filled to overfiowing.

Assuming that the-'device is` so constructed and 'assembled as described, the-operation Vwould be as follows.: g

c With the tank 1 empty, theliquid in the gauge tube 1S would register at zero, then Ywhen gasoline isf poured'into' the tank and it rises through opening 11 intoft'he tube'10 andthen into the open yend of the air tube Y 12 a certain amount of' air will gbe trapped within the tube 12, and asthe gasoline rises inthe tank, this air 'will be'compiessed to create a` pressure within the chamber 16 kis somewhat similar to previous devices of this character. It will no-w be shown that I have made an advance in 'this art byV overcoming the defects caused by the column of air being continually trapped within the pressure tube vand resulting in an erroneous reading. caused by any change jin volume `of said trapped air. v

` `VVhenthe engine is running and gasoline is intermittently sucked into" thev gravity `tank 2 through the tube 5 by means` of the vacuum feed system, it will be understood .that the opening 11 is madeso smallfthat the suction will remove all the gasoline from the tube 10 faster `than it can enter through said small opening, therefore entirely removing gasoline from tubes 12 and13. In fact the smallness of this openingv will cause a the tubes 12 and 13. This surplusage will draw all the reading Aliquid 17'out of the gauge glassY 18 and upwardly into the'cham# ber 16, but never as high as the Vmouth. of the tubeilS. Thisisurplusage will also be strong enough to draw fresh air through reading liquid 17 in the form of minute bubbles andwill' besuliicient in quantity to completely replenish the old air within :tubes 12 and l13, which will besucked out Athus be seen that said tubes are intermit tently supplied .with fresh air at atmospheric temperature and rsubstantially yat' a constant volume and consequently givinga correct gauge reading at all times."

f The conditionduring an operating Vperiod 'of the vacuum mechanism is illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawing,'whereinvthe tube 12 is shown to be cleared of gasoline and air is entering the tubeV 13 after passing through the gauge tube and'thr-ough the indicating liquid in the form of bubbles, as is indicated at'26. i i I Figure Llillustrates the extent to which the air tube l2 will be filled with gasoline 'after the vacuum systemj has stopped operdrawing air from the chamber 16. In doing this,"I have'placed a vfloat valve 20,withiii` the tube 12wliich has taperedy ends adapted Ato engage against valve seats 21 and 22 llocated respectively in the' upper and lower ends of the tube. This float rises and falls in accordance with thelevel Ofliq'uid in the tube 12 and operates automatically.

VIn Figurev 3, I havev illustratedV another alternative construction similar to that illustrated inFigure 1, but'wh'erein the lower end of the tube v10 is equipped -with'a lateral extension 23 adapted to'b'e closed by ,l a valve plate 24; that is'hingedly attached at its upper edge to the top edge ofthe extension andis held by lgravity"againstthe open .the port 19 which air .will pass through the ieu end'of the extension.` The valve plate may be swung outwardly to open position and is providedwith a small aperture 25 through which gasoline flows to fill the tubes. This `valve plate is provided in order tdgive a large opening through which gasoline left in the tube V5 at the timethe suctionl apparatus stops operating, may run' quickly back into'the tank and not back upinto tube surplusage of vsuction which willact throughl3, yet Which IIOImlly Provides O'I'lly Small and 'has a restricted inlet, and means where-k by suction is created intermittently in saidV pipe to effect a withdrawal of fuel vfrom the tank, of an indicating device comprising a closed receptacle containing an indicating liquid and a gauge tube open to atmosphere at its upper end and communicating at its lower end with the indicating liquid in tlie receptacle and in which the indicating liquid will rise and fall in accordance with variations of pressure within the receptacle, an air tube connected at one Y Vend with the top of the said receptacle and having its othervend disposed withinthe suction pipe in such manner as toA receive I fuel therein from the fuel tank during inactive periods of the suction means to thereby effect a rise of the indicating liquid in the gauge tube, there being created during act-ive periods of the suction means an inward flow of air through the gauge tube,

indicating liquid and receptacle which removes liquid from the gauge tube and fuel lfrom the air tube.

2. The combination with a fuel supply tank and a fuel feed system including a pipe.

that extends vertically into the said tank to closely adjacent the bottom thereof and is provided at its end with a relatively small port and means whereby suction is created intermittently in said pipe to effect the withdrawal `of fuel from thev tank, of an Yindicator comprising a closed receptacle containing` an indicating liquid, a gauge tube open at its upper end to atmosphere and communicating at its other end with the indicating liquid in the receptacle and in which thev liquid will rise and fall in accordance with variations of pressure in the receptacle,

an air tube connectedV at one end with the top of the said receptacle and, having itsy other end enclosed vwithin the suction pipe and extended ther-ein to a point closely adjacent the port of the latter so that fuel will rise therein during inactive periods of thelsuction means to effect-a rise .of indieating liquid in the gauge tube, said suction pipe and air tube being so assembled that during each act-ive period ofthe suction means there will bev created an inflow of air through the gauge tube, liquid and receptacle to remove the liquid from the gauge tube and fuel fromthe lower end of the air tube.

3. The combination with a fuel supply :i

tank and a fuel feed system including a pipe that extends vvertically into the tank to a point closely adjacent the bottom `thereof and is provided at its end with a rela-v tively small port and means wherebysuction is created intermittently in` said pipe to ply tank, of an indicator comprising a closed effect the withdrawal of fuel from the supl receptacle partly filled with an indicating liquid, a gauge tube'open to atmosphere at its upper lend and communicating at its lower end with the indicating'- liquid iii said receptacle to receive the indicating liquid, an air tube connected at one end with the z top of the receptacle and having its other end extended within the suction pipevto a point closely adjacent the port of the latter andadapted during inactive periods of the suction means to receive liquid from the fuel tank thereinto toV thereby give a reading in the gauge tube, thesaid air tube being of substantially greater internal diameterthan the port of the suction pipe soy that suction within the latter will effect the withdrawal of the liquid from the lower: portion of the air tube and create an inward flow of air through the gauge tube, liquid and receptacle of the indicator to remove the liquid from the gauge tube.

Signed at Seattle, King County, Washington, this 19th day of February, 1923.

' HENRY MOSSBACH. 

